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Ruby Dee
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Ruby Dee (born 27 October 1924) is an Academy Award nominated American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist.
was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Gladys Hightower and Marshall Edward Nathaniel Wallace, a cook, waiter, and porter. After her mother left the family, Dee's father married Emma Amelia Benson, a schoolteacher. Dee grew up in Harlem, New York.

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Encyclopedia
Ruby Dee (born 27 October 1924) is an Academy Award nominated American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist.
Biography
Early years
Dee was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Gladys Hightower and Marshall Edward Nathaniel Wallace, a cook, waiter, and porter. After her mother left the family, Dee's father married Emma Amelia Benson, a schoolteacher. Dee grew up in Harlem, New York. She attended Hunter College High School and went on to graduate from Hunter College with degrees in French and Spanish in 1945. Dee is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Inc.
Career
Dee made several appearances on Broadway before receiving national recognition for her role in the 1950 film The Jackie Robinson Story. Her career in acting has crossed all major forms of media over a span of eight decades, including the films A Raisin in the Sun, in which she recreated her stage role as a suffering housewife in the projects, and Edge of the City. She played both roles opposite Sidney Poitier. During the 1960s, Dee appeared in such politically charged films as Gone Are the Days and The Incident, which is recognized as helping pave the way for young African-American actors and filmmakers.
She appeared in one episode of the Golden Girls' sixth season. Dee has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards, winning once for her role in the 1990 TV film Decoration Day. She was nominated for her television guest appearance in the China Beach episode, "Skylark." Her late husband Ossie Davis (1917-2005) also appeared in that episode.
In 2007 the winner of the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album was tied between Dee and Ossie Davis for With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together, and former President Jimmy Carter.
She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for her portrayal of Mama Lucas in American Gangster. She won the SAG award for the same performance. At 83 years old, Dee is currently the second oldest nominee for Best Supporting Actress, behind Gloria Stuart who was 87 for her role in Titanic. This was Dee's first nomination. It was also significant in that hers is the second shortest performance (at approximately five minutes) ever to be nominated for an acting Oscar, following that of the cameo appearance of Sylvia Miles in Midnight Cowboy.
Personal life & activism
Ruby Wallace married blues singer Frankie Dee in the mid 1940s but later divorced him and married actor Ossie Davis.
Together, Dee and Davis wrote an autobiography in which they discuss their political activism as well as insights on their open marriage. Together they had three children; son, blues musician Guy Davis, and two daughters, Nora Day, and Hasna Muhammad. Dee has survived breast cancer for more than 30 years.
Dee and Davis were well-known civil rights activists. Among others, Dee is a member of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dee and Davis were personal friends of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, with Davis giving the eulogy at the latter's funeral in 1965.
In November 2005 Dee was awarded along with her late husband the Lifetime Achievement Freedom Award, presened by the National Civil Rights Museum located in Memphis,TN.Dee, who is a long time resident of New Rochelle, New York, was inducted into the Westchester County Women’s Hall of Fame on March 30, 2007 joining the ranks with past honorees, Hillary Clinton, Sally Ziegler and Nita Lowey.
Work
Filmography
Stage productions
- South Pacific (1943)
- Anna Lucasta (1944)
- Jeb (1946)
- A Long Way From Home (1948)
- The Smile of the World (1949)
- A Raisin in the Sun (1959)
- Purlie Victorious (1961)
- Checkmates (1988)
Discography
- The Original Read-In for Peace in Vietnam (Folkways Records, 1967)
- What if I am a Woman?, Vol. 1: Black Women's Speeches (Folkways, 1977)
- What if I am a Woman?, Vol. 2: Black Women's Speeches (Folkways, 1977)
- Every Tone a Testimony (Smithsonian Folkways, 2001)
Awards and nominations
Awards
- 1961: National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress – A Raisin in the Sun
- 1971: Drama Desk Award Outstanding Performance – Boesman and Lena
- 1971: Obie Award for Best Performance by an Actress – Boesman and Lena
- 1973: Drama Desk Award Outstanding Performance – Wedding Band
- 1991: Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini–Series or TV Movie – Decoration Day
- 2001: Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2007: Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album- With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
- 2008: African–American Film Critics Best Supporting Actress – American Gangster
- 2008: Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – American Gangster
Nominations
- 1993: Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Evening Shade
- 2002: Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actress – Saint Lucy's Eyes
- 2008: Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – American Gangster
- 2008: Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – American Gangster
- 2008: Satellite Award Best Supporting Actress – American Gangster
- 2008: Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture – American Gangster
Bibliography
External links
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